Comatose

Consider me an object
Put me in a vacuum
Free of all conditions
Free of air and friction

Yea, I'll be hanging upside down.
And there I will swing
For all eternity

Feel it rising, yeh next stop falling
Feel it rising, comatose, with no fear of falling

Consider me an abcess
Leave me in my vacuum
Blood on all the pistons
Running my transmission

Feel it rising, yeh next stop falling
Feel it rising, comatose, with no fear of falling
Feel it rising, yeh next stop falling
Feel it rising

High above I'll break the law,
If it's illegal to be in love,
Leave the hatred, on the cross

Yeh I'll be hanging upside down and here I will swing
For all eternity

Feel it rising, yeh next stop falling
Feel it rising, comatose with no fear of falling
Feel it rising, yeh, next stop falling
Feel it rising
Something never thought you'd be a part of

Previous Songs of the Moment
1. In My Tree
2. Red Mosquito
3. Porch
4. I Got Id
5. Release
6. Do The Evolution
7. Breath
8. Corduroy
9. Elderly Woman...
10. Leash
11. Hail Hail
12. Grievance
13. Love Boat Captain
14. Even Flow
15. Black Red Yellow
16. In Hiding
17. Can't Keep
18. Indifference
19. Insignificance
20. Whipping
21. Black
22. Smile
23. Push Me Pull Me
24. Rats
25. God's Dice
26. All or None
27. Yellow Ledbetter
28. Last Exit
29. Who You Are
30. Rearview Mirror
31. Hold On
32. Present Tense
33. Light Years
34. Alive
35. Brain of J
36. Thumbing My Way
37. Hard to Imagine
38. Tremor Christ
39. Rival
40. Animal
41. Lukin
42. You Are
43. betterman
44. Given to Fly
45. Once
46. Low Light
47. Parting Ways
48. Off He Goes
49. Go
50. get right
51. World Wide Suicide
52. Angel
53. MFC
54. Long Road
55. Why Go
56. Nothingman
57. Save You
58. Of A Girl
59. Habit
60. Satan’s Bed
61. Faithful
62. Oceans
63. Gone
64. WMA
65. State of Love and Trust
66. Spin The Black Circle
67. Life Wasted
68. Arc
69. Garden
70. All Those Yesterdays
71.Sleight of Hand
72. Other Side
73. Let Me Sleep
74. I’m Open
75. Blood
76.Nothing As It Seems
77. All Night
78. Jeremy
79. No Way
80. Around The Bend
81. Immortality

Musically this song is just an angry snarl from start to finish, the kind of song that they haven’t really pulled off well since Vitalogy (with the exception of Brain of J and DTE, and neither of those quite have the energy of comatose, even though DTE is a slightly better song overall). Just nonstop contempt, fury, and aggression, from the crashing beginning, to the frantic solo, all the way to the way the final few words are just spat out. I love how unhinged Eddie’s vocals are (this is probably his best performance on the album), without ever really becoming painful to listen to (see habit/lukin). This song has never once failed to leave me alive and agitated in the best sense possible.

I’ve got nothing to say lyrically that I didn’t say in my long avocado review, so I might as well just post that here. Comatose is a political song, but it’s a lot like whipping, in that it is more about a feeling than a particular issue. It picks right up on the anger felt at the end of WWS. It’s a howl directed at all that is wrong with America, which at times can be so much it defies specifics. The verses and chorus are sung from the perspective of a ‘typical’ (as if there is such a thing) American, lost in his vacuum oblivious to the air and friction of the outside world, unaware of how his actions affect everyone else. There is obvious contempt in Eddie’s voice, and given the subject matter of WWS it’s hard for there not to be. The lyric about hanging upside down attests to the ways in which our priorities and values have become inverted—the ways in which we celebrate hate and selfishness instead of love and community.

The chorus introduces the image of falling, which is a crucial part of the next three songs. Falling implies a mistake, an imperfection. We’re supposed to be standing upright—we fall when we trip, when we’re not careful about where we’re going, or when the ground around us becomes unstable. Down also implies damnation. Up is heaven, down is hell. And if we’re not careful that’s the direction America is heading in. Not hell, per se, but certainly towards disaster—see songs like DTE or the works of Daniel Quinn. But, happy in our vacuums, we have no idea the danger we’re in and no fear of it. After all, we’re Americans (or humans more generally if you want to push the Quinn angle)—problems are for other people. We can keep this up for all eternity. The consequences of our actions never come back to affect us, and if other people don’t like they should have thought of that before they decided to be born somewhere else. Nor is it even clear that, as Americans—God’s chosen people designed to erect his City on the Hill—that we can even make mistakes. Certainly nothing we can’t justify in the name of progress/freedom/democracy/right. Ultimately we are oblivious/comatose with no fear of falling/damnation. The rising could refer to Ed’s anger/awareness, or our own inflated sense of self-importance.

The second verse basically repeats the same sentiments. The blood on all the pistons/running my transmission lines seem to acknowledge that there are consequences to how we live. We’re running our engine into the ground, and taking who knows what with us. But, happy in our vacuum, it’s not our problem.

A few people have speculated that the bridge is about gay marriage. That seems possible, in the same way the album art made whipping seem to be about abortion, but I think the lyrics are meant to be more generic/universal—a prelude to the themes of Marker in the Sand. He’s talking from a perspective that’s high above, one infused with love, compassion, tolerance, and understanding instead of hate, vengeance, and judgment. Those are seductive values. They’re easier, and hate is less demanding than love. His observation that love seems illegal is a direct tie in to WWS and a transition into Marker (although Severed Hand comes first). As a society, and as individuals (since this record is about individual salvation as much as it is group salvation—conveniently they require the same thing) we’ve gotten so swept up in war and hate, are so self-absorbed, that it’s become difficult for us to love one another, and in some cases, even ourselves. When Jesus was crucified he was supposed to die for our sins, to grant us a new beginning, and until we leave the hate on that cross, he’s essentially died in vein

The last line expresses Ed’s general sense of bewilderment. How did things get like this, and since I’m an American, how did I play a part in it. What can I do to change it? The record is in part a working through of that problem (although in the end I’m not totally satisfied with the answer).



Anyway, this song is just awesome. Comatose and WWS, more than anything else, completely restored my faith in this band

5 stars.

i've been in love w/ this song since the first time i heard it, which may be the best live performance of it. nothing better than in your face, kick ass pearl jam. 5 stars

that song got a lot of shit when it debuted but I had high hopes that were not disappointed

i dunno why, i fuckin love it. but im a big fan of aggressive pearl jam

0 stars. recycled riff, horrible lyrics. the bridge is cool but everything else is so bad it's not redeemable.

yeah but you think riot act is good

CB is right, the chorus sucks.
This is like a mediocre version of STBC.

This was the first full song (besides Gone) that the band premiered before the release of the album. Many people, including me, thought it sucked and was only a forecast for even worse things to come. I do give the band credit for trying to put the punk back into PJ. 3 stars.

this would have been the worst song on riot act.

this song would beat up every song on riot act and them give them a swirly

1/2 full would eat this song mid-bridge, then spit it right out.

i think comatose is harder hitting than stbc. stbc is kinda just a fun song to me, comatose makes me wanna get in a pit

you mean the shitty version of red mosquito? no chance

no, i mean the guitar-ripping bluesy jam on riot act.

give it up cb, 1/2 full is weak

comatose->leash=awesome!

I gave it 4, because it does kick ass during a concert. However when you start analyzing the song you'll find that the the lyrics are really bad, with exception of the bridge maybe. the chorus is just flat out embarrassing. Pilate has a better chorus.

i remember watching some live studio version, maybe the aol sessions or something. ed's got on a big pair of headphones if that helps.

anyway, that was the worst thing i'd ever heard the band do.

One of my top 5 PJ songs right now and my 2nd favorite song from Avocado.

5 stars (or bammers) easily.

oh for sure! i'm judging this as a song and musical quality.

as for agression, fuck yeah i pretty much start my own pit in front of my seat when this is played. Sometimes, I think I'd rather see a show in Europe or SA just for the GA.

When this first premiered, I didn't like it at all. Maybe it was the poor quality of the tape that made it so I couldn't understand a word that Ed was saying, or that the music seemed somewhat disjointed. It just didn't click with me.

However, once I got a good recording on the album, and started to think about what was being said and how it was being said, this song has really grown on me. One of my favorites from the new album, and of the past few albums for that matter.

It's not a five-star song, but it's a solid 4.